Schools in Zip Code 85142

Zip code 85142 has 26 schools: 14 elementary, 4 middle, 5 high and 3 alternative schools, with 2025–2026 English and math results and 2024–2025 science results available. Across schools, average all-grade proficiency was 53% in English and 49% in math, compared with Arizona averages of 41% and 33%. But results vary sharply: English ranges from 19% to 87%, and math from 12% to 81%. The most important takeaway is that schools in this area are not uniformly strong or weak, so the particular school and grade matter far more than a zip-code average.

Newell Barney College Preparatory School leads all-grade English at 87%, 46 percentage points above the state, and reports 78% in math; its grade 7 results are 89% in English and 77% in math. Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary leads all-grade math at 81%, 48 points above the state, and has 78% in English. In grade 7, Willie & Coy Payne Junior High also stands out, with 71% in English and 53% in math. At the low end, San Tan Foothills High School reports 19% in English and 12% in math—22 and 21 points below state figures, respectively. San Tan Heights Elementary School also has low results, at 21% in English and 18% in math.

SchoolDigger’s relative rankings rose at some schools and fell at others: among 22 schools with three-year histories, the average change was up 3 percentile points, with 13 schools rising, 7 falling and 2 unchanged. Newell Barney College Preparatory School had the largest increase, up 35 points, while Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary rose 14 points; San Tan Heights Elementary School fell 12. Other measures tell a more mixed story: San Tan Foothills reports a 90% graduation rate, 10 points above the state, despite its low test results. Newell Barney is small, with 129 students and a 9.9 student-teacher ratio, while Mecham Barney has 908 students and a 22.4 ratio—yet both report high proficiency. SchoolDigger percentiles are relative rankings, not proficiency trends, and small-school results may vary year to year.